may do all the words of this law. That is, in fhort, that the grand intention of all revelation, is, practical religion.

N. B. All these feveral points may with advantage be dwelt upon and explained.

great

XXXI.

In which are fome things hard to be understood. -2 Peter, iii. 16.

THIS expreffion is commonly thought to refer to St. Paul's epiftles; which are here supposed to contain things hard to be understood. But the original rather leads us to fuppose, that inftead of St. Paul's epiftles, the mysteries of the gofpel are hard to be understood. This makes a much better fenfe; for though many reasons may be given, why fome things in St. Paul's epiftles may at this day be hard to be underStood; yet we cannot well conceive them to have been fo at the time they were written: we cannot well fuppofe that epiftles written to particular churches, could contain any thing that was not eafily understood by thofe churches.To let this matter however pass, in the following discourse, I fhall confider first the fource of fcriptural

1

fcriptural difficulties :-and fecondly, how far a difficulty is an objection.

With regard to the fources of fcriptural difficulties, they may be traced either to human, or divine origin. Scriptural difficulties of human origin arise from errors in tranfcribing-from errors in tranflating-from the idioms of the Jewish language fo different from our ownfrom figurative, proverbial, and allegoric forms of fpeaking-and laftly, from ancient rites, manners, and cuftoms, which are now little known. To one or other of these fources, I fuppofe most of the fcriptural difficulties under this head may be referred.

Such difficulties, as arise from a divine fource, are of a different kind. Of them no folution can be given. They confift of those mysterious points, which we can never understand. Such are the mysterious doctrines of the Trinity-of the incarnation of our bleffed Lord-of his propitiation for fin-of the nature of redemption

of the mode of inspiration; and of fome other points, which are wholly beyond our capacity to explain.Let us however fee, how far thefe, or the other fpecies of fcriptural difficulty, arifing from human inadvertence, amount to matter of objection. Sceptics have turned

both

both the one fort of difficulties, and the other into objection. Let us examine with what

reason.

Let us confider, first the scriptural difficulties ́ of human origin. These have in general been well explained by the labours of learned men. To the fimple-minded, and well-difpofed, they never were objections. But I should just ask those, who are in queft of difficulties, in order to turn them into objections, Whether they have fully and candidly examined all that has been faid in anfwer to thefe difficulties? If they have, and remain ftill unconvinced with regard to a few particular difficulties, they must at least have found, in their enquiries, fuch a number of difficulties diffolved, that if they have any candour, they must suppose, those which remain, are not indiffoluble. If the fceptic, on the other hand, which is most probably the cafe, has taken no pains to examine the difficulties, in which he seems to be fo interested, he cannot certainly be confidered as a judge of the cafe. He has heard one fide only; and we may difmifs him-without farther attention. It is plain to what fide he leans. He is a prejudiced man.

He has other objections to the gofpel, befides thefe difficulties; and if these were diffolved, a new set of difficulties

would arife. In all probability, fuch a man must look to his life and manners. There lies the rub. The gofpel is too pure; not too difficult.

But perhaps he is candid enough to fee the force of all this, and owns that difficulties, which are merely of human origin, cannot always be avoided in a state of human things; and therefore cannot properly be confidered as objections but ftill perhaps he is difconcerted with the other fpecies of difficulties-the mysteries of religion, which he cannot accommodate to his reason.

A person of this difpofition, who is seriously willing to enter into argument, may be asked, Whether he does not think it reafonable, that when God Almighty makes a revelation of his will to man, there may be fome things in it, which human reafon cannot comprehend? Does he, for inftance, pretend to understand the whole plan of the redemption of mankind? Does he clearly fee God's intention and defign in every part of it? He can have no real objection, unless he clearly understand the whole fubject-matter, to which he objects. If I take up a book on algebra, and do not understand the principles of the science, the difficulties that arife, are not certainly objections. I must solve them in my own ignorance. But if I take

VOL. I.

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